Chapter 120 - 119: An Altar of Blood Tai Sui (Extra - for Votes)

Chapter 120: Chapter 119: An Altar of Blood Tai Sui (Extra Chapter for Votes) "Little Hongtang, can you wade through water?" With still several tens of yards to the shore, Hu Ma intentionally slowed down and asked in a low voice. When Yang Gong’s little ghost came to the Manor to deliver a message, it was all wet. Whether this was its natural state or because it had crossed the river was unknown. However, Hu Ma knew that raising a little ghost to deliver messages or small items was quite common in this world. But he hadn’t let Little Hongtang deliver anything, and he didn’t know if there were any particular customs or taboos regarding their deliveries. Little Hongtang turned her small head and nodded vigorously, saying, "Little Hongtang isn’t afraid of water. I can even dive deep." Really impressive... Hu Ma praised her and was thinking of arranging a task for her, but then Little Hongtang thought for a moment and added, "But I can’t go into the water right now; there’s something in it." "And there are people burning incense on the shore; they’re very fierce. This is their way of telling us not to deliver messages again. If we’re discovered, we’ll be beaten to death." "If I go into the water now, they’ll see me, and I don’t want to get beaten..." Of course not... Hu Ma also couldn’t bear to see Little Hongtang get beaten, let alone if she were caught—it might not just be a beating. He looked up and indeed saw people on the shore. They had set up an incense table with some items on it, and a faint smoke was wafting from it. This might be some method to warn off passing evil spirits or yin spirits, a bit like when our crew is about to brawl, and we tell everyone else to scatter. But in that case, how could he get in touch with Yang Gong again? "However, Little Hongtang can also avoid being seen by them." Just as he was pondering, he heard Little Hongtang, after thinking for a moment, suddenly say, "I can hide on old objects." Old objects? Hu Ma was taken aback, thinking of the red Wooden Sword. After all, being wood, it wouldn’t sink and was unlikely to be noticed. But this significantly increased the difficulty. Suddenly feeling relieved, he laughed softly and asked, "Then would you be willing to help me deliver something?" Little Hongtang blinked, still swinging her small legs. Hu Ma said, "If you succeed, I’ll give you a large piece of green food." Little Hongtang pouted, seeming not to have heard Hu Ma’s words. Hu Ma sighed helplessly, steeled himself, and then promised again, "Then I’ll give you two large pieces of green food." Little Hongtang immediately smiled so broadly her eyes crinkled. "Alright." Foodies are rather simple, much like how old lechers, ironically, always seem to give people a sense of security... Hu Ma felt at ease. He carefully instructed Little Hongtang and placed the prepared items into the small basket she carried. Taking advantage of the considerable distance still to the shore, he quietly untied the red Wooden Sword and placed it into the water at the stern. Watching as Little Hongtang sat on the red Wooden Sword and quietly headed toward the Water God Temple, Hu Ma focused his full attention on rowing towards the opposite shore. Others couldn’t see Little Hongtang, nor would they notice the small Wooden Sword, but they spotted him from afar. Before he reached the shore, people from the bank surrounded him and shouted, "What are you doing? Bring the boat over and talk!" He took a deep breath, put on a smile, and approached them. "Brother Yang Gong, still no news?" Currently, in the Water God Temple, three men were sitting or reclining before the dilapidated incense table. One of them, his face ashen, was already dead. He had a terrifying wound on his chest, as if his belly had been ripped open. The other two wore red sashes around their waists. One had a cloth strip bandaging his arm and looked injured, his face pale. He was questioning Yang Gong, who stood by the window. "They’ve burned incense, so the little ghost can’t return. I don’t know what’s happening." Yang Gong had a jar wrapped in a bundle on his back. His eyes were fixed intently on the movement outside, and his voice was somber. "But as long as the little ghost got out, the message will be delivered. I expect the help is almost here..." "Who did you send it to? Incense Master Zheng?" The injured Red Fragrance Disciple sounded doubtful. "He has a fast horse. If he were coming, he should have arrived by now..." "Incense Master Zheng?" Yang Gong sneered at the words. "If I invited him and told him we have such a thing on us, hehe... Believe it or not, he’d definitely come, and that jar of Blood Food would also be returned to the Lady. But we certainly wouldn’t be going back!" The injured Red Fragrance Disciple’s face turned even paler; he understood Yang Gong’s meaning perfectly. That Incense Master Zheng had never gotten along with them. If they really invited him, the Green Clothes Gang members outside could probably be driven away. However, it was almost certain that Incense Master Zheng would also take the opportunity to eliminate the two of them and take the jar of Blood Food back alone to claim all the credit. After all, Incense Master Zheng would never stand by and watch a few thorns in his side like them achieve such great merit... "Then... who did you invite?" The Red Fragrance Disciple with the injured arm said desperately, "We can’t hold on much longer... We’re all injured, and we don’t have any food. If we’re not careful, they’ll break in..." "Hold on just a little longer..." Yang Gong gritted his teeth slightly and said in a low voice, "The one I sent the little ghost to find... was a brother of mine..." "He’s supposed to be a reliable person. He should... he might come, right?" "A brother..." The Red Fragrance Disciple with the bandaged arm also asked quickly, "What’s his status? Is... is he reliable?" That question left Yang Gong speechless. He instinctively felt Hu Ma was trustworthy. He had also arranged with him to transport this batch of Blood Food through his Manor, and now, in trouble, he had naturally sought his aid. However, it was only now that he realized he had only met that Manager Hu twice. Moreover, those who burned Red Fragrance knew they learned real skills. In contrast, those who burned green incense were merely errand boys. Could they really be helpful at this time? "Which one of you is Brother Yang Gong?" Just then, a crisp, clear voice suddenly rang out. Yang Gong and the other man were startled. They spun around quickly, weapons in hand. But when they focused their eyes, they saw it was a little girl with two pigtails, dressed in red, with a small basket on her arm. She appeared faintly, shrouded in a chilling ghostly aura, clearly not a living person, but she also seemed to bear no hostility. "Brother Huma asked me to bring you food..." Little Hongtang’s gaze shifted to Yang Gong, and then she lifted the black cloth covering her small basket. Yang Gong and the other Red Fragrance follower were stunned at the sight, then immediately overjoyed. Inside the basket lay several pieces of fist-sized dried meat, clearly blue Tai Sui, adding up to over a pound. Using a ghost to send messages and deliver items was very convenient. However, Blood Food was tricky because the ghost itself was an evil spirit. Upon touching Blood Food, it would go wild, and the more Blood Food it carried, the more frenzied it would become. Yang Gong was certain that his own lame little ghost, let alone being able to deliver a pound of green food, would likely devour even half an ounce of white food if tasked with carrying it. But now, this red little ghost had actually brought in a pound of green food? Trapped here, their biggest fear was succumbing to hunger and their injuries. With a pound of green food, it was a lifesaver. For mere survival, eating just a mouthful of green food a day could keep a person energized for the entire day. "Are you Manager Hu’s ghost?" After examining the green food and having no more doubts, Yang Gong took it from the basket and asked again, "How did you get in?" "Brother Huma sent me in. He’s right outside," Little Hongtang said brightly. Seeing them take out the green food, she took her basket back. It was a gift from her Granny; she couldn’t bear to lose it. "He asked me to come in and find out who those people outside are, so you can discuss a way to get you out." "That’s wonderful..." Hearing Little Hongtang’s words, Yang Gong’s eyes reddened. He turned to look at the other Red Fragrance Disciple, who was chewing on the green food but still looked bewildered and wary. Yang Gong said proudly, "Did you hear that? This Manager Hu is the good brother I told you about. From our very first meeting, I knew he was reliable. He received our message and rushed over during the night to help. Isn’t that a good brother?" The Red Fragrance Disciple nodded repeatedly. "Such loyalty, of course, he’s a good brother... How many people did he bring?" Little Hongtang said, "Brother Huma came by himself." "What?" The two men were taken aback again. "Coming alone? What’s the use of that?" "Perhaps he has thought things through more carefully," Yang Gong, also startled, said in a low voice. "There are few hands at his Manor; bringing them wouldn’t help much anyway. Besides, now that we have the green food, we can hold on for a while longer... If we weren’t worried that opening the jar and the scent of Blood Food would attract things from the river, we could hold out against them until the New Year..." Saying this, he pondered for a moment, then whispered some instructions to Little Hongtang, asking her to relay them to Hu Ma. Remembering the custom with little ghosts, he fumbled in his clothes, took out a piece of dried meat, and offered it to Little Hongtang. This was White Tai Sui, his last food ration, which he hadn’t brought himself to eat all night. Normally, it should be given as a reward to the little ghost. But Little Hongtang looked at the jerky in his hand, shook her little head, didn’t accept it, picked up her small basket, and turned to leave. "?" Yang Gong was dumbfounded. How did Manager Hu train his little ghost? It doesn’t even want a reward? Meanwhile, Hu Ma, still on the boat and nearing the shore, had silently activated his Lung Refining dharma method. By the time he reached the shore, his face was pale, almost transparent, and he looked extremely weak—completely different from his usual self. This was far simpler and more convenient than any Disguise Technique. The people on the shore, seeing his frailty, dismissed their suspicions. A sickly person, even if armed, wasn’t worth much attention. They merely questioned him briefly about his origins and destination, then told him to leave the boat and hurry away. Hu Ma didn’t argue. He responded perfunctorily and then moved behind a large rock nearby, pretending to secure the boat while quietly retrieving the red Wooden Sword that had floated downstream. "What?" After walking a few steps, he was listening to Little Hongtang’s words when he nearly lost his composure. "Blood Tai Sui?" "How big is that jar?" Little Hongtang spread her small hands and gestured forcefully. Hu Ma was so shocked his heart almost jumped out of his chest. Damn it, where had Yang Gong gotten such a valuable batch of stuff?